Am I an employee or a contractor?

That is determined by the working relationship rather than by what a contract calls you, and the IRS publishes the factors involved. It matters more here than in app-based delivery because courier and medical routes are frequently structured as ongoing arrangements with a single client.

Are car washes deductible for rideshare drivers?

Under the actual expense method a business-use share of cleaning costs is generally deductible. Under the standard mileage rate, routine cleaning is the kind of operating cost the rate is intended to cover, so it is not claimed separately. This is one where the method you chose decides the answer.

Are dead miles between fares deductible?

Miles driven while working, including repositioning between fares and driving to a pickup, are business miles. They are typically a large share of a rideshare driver's total and they are not in any platform's on-trip figure.

Are gig delivery tips taxable?

Yes. Tips are income, whether they arrive through the app or in cash, and whether or not any form reports them. In-app tips are typically included in the platform's reported earnings; cash tips are usually not reported by anyone, and reporting them is your responsibility.

Are Gopuff delivery miles deductible?

Yes for drivers working as independent contractors. The pattern is short hops from a single hub, so the per-trip distances are small and the trip count is high, which is exactly the shape that a tracker with a manual start button loses most of.

Are miles driven without a passenger or order deductible?

Miles driven while you are online and available for work are generally treated as business miles, including driving toward a busier area and repositioning between offers. The platform not paying you for a mile does not make it a personal mile.

Are return trips deductible?

Driving to return an undelivered order or a customer return, while working, is business driving. Record it, because it is exactly the kind of leg a route estimate does not contain.

Are there local taxes on gig income?

Some cities and counties levy their own income or business taxes, and some require a business licence or registration for self-employment. These are easy to miss because nothing prompts you.

Are tips included in my 1099?

In-app tips are generally included in what the platform reports, though how each platform presents earnings varies. Check the platform's own earnings breakdown against your records rather than assuming, because you are responsible for the total either way.

Are water, mints and phone chargers for passengers deductible?

Items bought for passengers are business supplies rather than vehicle expenses, so they are deductible regardless of which vehicle method you use. Keep receipts, because these are small, frequent and easily reconstructed wrongly.

Can a CPA get me a bigger refund than software?

A CPA can catch deductions software won't prompt you for and can advise on decisions software can't make for you, like whether to elect actual expenses over standard mileage in a specific year. Neither can invent a deduction you don't actually qualify for, and IRS Publication 463's mileage rules apply the same way regardless of who prepares the return.

Can a tracker be accurate and low-power at the same time?

Largely, by using the motion and visit APIs the operating system already runs for everything, and by only requesting precise location once driving is detected. That is different from polling GPS continuously, which is what produces the worst drain.

Can Amazon Flex drivers deduct mileage?

Yes. Flex drivers are independent contractors, so business mileage is deductible on Schedule C. That includes the drive to the station once you are working the block, the entire route, and the drive between stops, but not the commute from home before the block begins.

Can courier drivers deduct mileage?

Independent contractor couriers deduct business mileage on Schedule C in the same way as other gig drivers. Employees generally cannot deduct unreimbursed vehicle expenses on a federal return, which makes your classification the first thing to establish rather than the last.

Can EV drivers use the IRS standard mileage rate?

Yes. The standard mileage rate applies to business use of a car and is not restricted by fuel type. The rate is the same for an EV as for a petrol vehicle, which is one reason the standard method can be favourable for EV drivers whose actual running cost per mile is lower.

Can gig drivers claim a home office?

Only if a specific area of the home is used regularly and exclusively for the business and is the principal place of business, meaning the place where the substantial administrative and management work is done and there is no other fixed location where it happens. Many drivers do not meet the exclusive-use test, and claiming it anyway is a poor trade.

Can gig drivers deduct their phone bill?

The business-use portion, yes. A phone used for both business and personal purposes is deductible in proportion to business use, and you need a reasonable basis for the percentage rather than a round number chosen afterwards.

Can I deduct employee vehicle expenses on my state return?

Some states still allow deductions for unreimbursed employee business expenses that the federal return does not. That is one of the few places where a W-2 driver has something to claim, and it is entirely state-specific.

Can I deduct gas if I use the standard mileage rate?

No. The standard mileage rate is intended to cover operating costs including fuel, oil, maintenance, insurance and depreciation. Claiming the rate and your fuel separately is double-counting.

Can I deduct gig mileage if I also have a full-time job?

Yes. Gig driving is self-employment and its mileage goes on Schedule C regardless of what other income you have. Having a W-2 job does not reduce or disqualify the deduction.

Can I deduct mileage and gas together?

No. The standard mileage rate already includes fuel, maintenance, depreciation and insurance. You choose the standard rate or actual expenses for the vehicle, and the first-year choice constrains what you can switch to later.

Can I deduct mileage from my W-2 job?

Generally no. Unreimbursed employee business expenses, including vehicle expenses, are not deductible on a federal return for most employees under current rules. That is why the same drive can be deductible for your gig work and not for your day job.

Can I deduct miles driven while waiting for an Uber Eats order?

Miles driven while you are online and available for work are generally treated as business miles, including driving toward a busier area. Time spent parked while waiting is not mileage at all, but the driving around it generally is.

Can I deduct parking and tolls on top of the standard mileage rate?

Yes. IRS Publication 463 is explicit that business-related parking fees and tolls are deductible in addition to the standard mileage rate rather than being folded into it. Keep those receipts separately from your mileage log.

Can I deduct the cost of the phone itself?

The business-use share of the cost, subject to the rules that apply to business property. How it is treated depends on cost and on which elections apply, which is a question worth asking a tax professional rather than guessing.

Can I reduce tax on tips?

Not directly, and the mileage deduction reduces the profit that all of your income including tips contributes to. There is no separate treatment that makes tip income cheaper.

Can I still fix a gap in my mileage log?

Reconstructing from delivery records, bank timestamps and location history is possible and is much easier in December than in April, because the platform exports, the messages and the phone history are all still available. Keep a note of what you used.

Can I switch between the standard rate and actual expenses?

There are rules, and the choice made in the vehicle's first year of business use constrains later options. Decide deliberately in year one rather than discovering the constraint later.

Can I switch mileage apps mid-year?

Yes, and export before you cancel. In 2026 this matters more than usual because the year has two IRS rates split at June 30, so both halves of your year need their dates intact to compute correctly.

Can I use Grubhub's mileage number on my taxes?

It is useful supporting evidence and generally not a complete log on its own. IRS Publication 463 requires a record showing the date, mileage, destination and business purpose of each trip, kept at or near the time of the trip.

Can I use my DoorDash or Uber trip history as a mileage log?

Platform histories are strong supporting evidence but generally not a complete log on their own, because they typically record only the paid portion of your driving and not the unpaid miles to a pickup or between offers. Use them as corroboration alongside your own record.

Can I use Stride and a paid app at the same time?

Yes, and for one week it is a good idea. Running both and comparing their totals against your odometer is the cleanest way to find out whether manual tracking is costing you anything.

Can Instacart shoppers deduct mileage?

Yes, if you are a full-service shopper working as an independent contractor. The drive to the store after going online, the store to the customer, and repositioning between batches while online are all business miles. In-store shopping time involves no driving, so it produces no mileage deduction even though it is most of the work.

Can rideshare drivers deduct car washes?

It depends on which vehicle expense method you use. Under the standard mileage rate, ordinary vehicle maintenance including washing is already accounted for in the rate and is not deducted separately. Under actual expenses, the business-use share of washing and cleaning is deductible along with the other vehicle costs.

Can Shipt shoppers deduct mileage?

Yes. Shipt shoppers are generally independent contractors filing a Schedule C, and business miles are deductible at the standard mileage rate. That includes driving to the store, between stores, and to the customer, plus repositioning while online and available.

Can Walmart Spark drivers deduct mileage?

Yes. Spark drivers are independent contractors, so business miles go on Schedule C. That covers the drive to the store once you are working, the store to each customer, driving between drops on a batch, and repositioning while online.

Can you claim mileage in a car you do not own?

What you can deduct depends on what you actually bear. If you pay the vehicle's operating costs, there is something to deduct; if someone else pays everything and you simply drive it, there is much less. Driving a car you neither own nor pay for is not the same situation as using your own.

Can you claim mileage on a rental car?

The deduction for a rented vehicle generally works through the actual costs you paid, principally the rental charge and fuel for business use, rather than through the standard mileage rate, which is built around the costs of owning and operating a vehicle. Which method applies to your situation is worth confirming with a tax professional.

Can you claim the standard mileage rate on a leased car?

The standard mileage rate is available for a leased vehicle, but there is an important condition: if you choose it for a leased car, IRS guidance requires you to use it for the entire lease period, including renewals. Read Publication 463 on this before you choose, because the choice is not reversible year to year the way it can be for an owned vehicle.

Can you deduct mileage on a car you also use personally?

Yes. Almost every gig driver does, and the deduction is for the business portion. What you need is a record of business miles and the vehicle's total miles for the year, so the business share is a proportion of a known total rather than a figure with nothing behind it.

Do EV drivers still need to track mileage?

Yes, and for the same reasons. The standard mileage rate requires a dated per-trip log regardless of fuel type, and 2026's two-rate split at June 30 applies identically.

Do gig drivers have to pay quarterly taxes?

Generally yes if you expect to owe tax when you file and no tax is being withheld. Gig platforms do not withhold, so income tax and self-employment tax are your responsibility, and the IRS expects payment through the year rather than in one lump at filing.

Do gig platforms track my miles for me?

Only partially. Platform mileage figures typically cover the paid portion of a trip and exclude the unpaid miles driving to a pickup, repositioning between offers or returning from a delivery zone, which are often 30 to 50 percent of a driver's total.

Do gig trackers show my real profit?

They show gross or effective earnings. None of the mainstream gig trackers builds a personalised cost-per-mile model from your own vehicle, so their net figures rest on generic assumptions rather than what your car actually costs you.

Do I have to make state estimated payments too?

Most states with an income tax have their own estimated payment requirements and their own deadlines, which do not always match the federal ones. Paying federal estimates and forgetting state ones is a common and avoidable penalty.

Do I have to report cash tips?

Yes. Cash tips are taxable income and belong in your gross receipts on Schedule C. Nobody sends a form for them, which does not change the obligation.

Do I have to report gig income if I did not get a 1099?

Yes. Income is reportable whether or not an information return was issued. Net earnings from self-employment of 400 dollars or more generally trigger self-employment tax and a filing requirement, and receiving no form does not change that.

Do I have to split my miles between platforms for taxes?

No. The miles belong to your business, and the business is delivery driving. Splitting them by platform is something drivers do to answer a different question, which is which platform actually pays, and that is a business decision rather than a tax requirement.

Do I need a gig-specific tracker or will a general mileage app do?

A general mileage app will produce a valid deduction. A gig-specific tool matters if you want unpaid repositioning miles captured automatically, earnings alongside miles, or a net-pay figure. If all you need is a defensible log, a general tracker is sufficient.

Do I need a mileage tracker app or can I just use a notebook?

A notebook is legally sufficient if it records the date, the mileage and the business purpose of each trip. It fails in practice for gig drivers because a delivery shift is 15 to 40 short trips and nobody writes down 40 entries a night. The failure is behavioural, not legal.

Every question this site answers

Updated October 14, 2026 · published by Baker Ventures LLC · sources cited inline

Every question answered on this site, in one place: 310 of them across 60 pages. Each links to the page that answers it in full. This index is generated from the pages themselves, so it cannot drift from them.

All questions

By page

1099-NEC vs 1099-K for gig drivers

Against a notes app and a spreadsheet

Amazon Flex: the miles, and what a block really pays

Car washes and cleaning: deductible, or already covered?

Cost per mile if you drive an EV

Couriers, medical delivery and same-day work

CPA or do-it-yourself — deciding as a gig driver

Deactivation, and the records you lose with it

Do I actually need a mileage tracker for gig work?

DoorDash mileage: what counts, what does not, and what the app does not track

Everlance and Gridwise alternatives

Four numbers every gig driver should know

Grubhub mileage deduction in 2026

Home office for gig drivers: the deduction, and what it does to the commuting rule

If you drive passengers rather than parcels

If you only drive part time

If you run several apps at once

Instacart: mileage, and the expenses shoppers forget

Is tracking mileage worth it for part-time gig drivers?

Know your real hourly pay, and never lose a mile

Mileage if you lease your car

Mileage tracker comparisons

Mileage tracker pricing in 2026

MileIQ alternatives in 2026

MileTruth vs Everlance

MileTruth vs Gridwise vs Solo

MileTruth vs Hurdlr vs Driversnote vs TripLog

MileTruth vs MileIQ

MileTruth vs QuickBooks Solopreneur

MileTruth vs Stride

Multi-apping mileage and earnings

One car, two uses: how the split works

Parking, tolls and the other deductions

Quarterly estimated taxes for gig drivers

Rentals, borrowed cars and rental programmes

Shipt, Roadie and Gopuff mileage in 2026

Starting a mileage log, today, in ten minutes

State taxes: where the federal answer stops being the whole answer

Tax software for gig drivers, compared

The best mileage tracker apps for gig drivers in 2026

The commuting rule, and which gig trips are personal

The end-of-year checklist: nine things to do before 31 December

The first and last trip of the day

The mistakes that cost the most, ranked

The problems this site is about

Tips: what gets reported, what you owe, and the cash question

Uber Eats mileage deduction in 2026

Unpaid miles are still deductible

W-2 job plus gig driving: which miles count, and where the money goes on the return

Walmart Spark: mileage, trip types, and what an offer really pays

What happens if the IRS questions your mileage deduction

What to keep, and for how long

Why almost everyone underestimates their own mileage

Why mileage trackers drain your battery

Why the earnings screen is not your income

Why your gig driving pays less than the app says

Why your mileage app keeps missing trips

Your 1099 is wrong — what to actually do

Your January gig-driver tax checklist

Your phone: what is deductible, and how to defend the percentage

About MileTruth

MileTruth is an iOS app from Baker Ventures LLC that tracks deductible business mileage for gig and delivery drivers and shows true net pay: what is left after mileage, fuel and self-employment tax, not what the platform showed you at acceptance, once you log your online hours. It is built for people driving several platforms in the same shift, and for anyone who needs a mileage log that would hold up if the IRS asked for it. The app is submitted for App Store review and launches automatically on approval.

Everything on this site is free and needs no account: the mileage deduction calculator, the per-platform pay breakdowns, and the answers, each one linked to the IRS publication or platform document it came from. MileTruth publishes the source for every number, including the 2026 split-year standard mileage rate, because a deduction you cannot substantiate is not a deduction.